Convertible chair and table.



Nd 688,34I. Patented Dec. I0, IQDI.

lK'. A. nuETHm. CONVERTIBLE CHAIR 'AND TABLE.

(Application ld Sept. 22, 1900.)

(No Model.)

UNITED y PATENT OFFICE.

KNUTE A'LBIN RUETHIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR AND TABLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 688,341, dated December 10, 1901.

Application led September 22, 1900. Serial No. 30,749. (No model.) v

T all whaha t may concern:

Be it known that I, KNU'rn ALBIN RUETHIN,

` a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago,- in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Chairs and Tables, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specilication.

My invention relates to a piece of furniture which may be converted from a table into a chair, and has for its object to provide a simple yet durable and ornamental article of furniture capable of this twofold use and'one which will not require any especial skill or experience for its operation.

With these ends in View my invention consists in certain features of novelty inthe construction, combination, and arrangement of parts by which the said objects and certain other objects hereinafter appearing are attained, all as fully described with reference tothe accompanying drawings, andmore particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure l. is a side elevation, partially sectioned, of my improved piece of furniture, showing the same converted into a chair. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof, showing the same converted into a table. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the side bars hereinafter described, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the upper end of one of the fixed stanchions hereinafter described.

1 represents a chair seat or bottom sup` ported in any suitable way, as by means of legs 2, and provided, if desired, with a cushion 3, and upon this chair-bottom is secured a chair-back support of any suitable form, but preferably consisting of a pair of uprights or standards 4, which are secured to the bottom 1 at their lower ends in any suitable manner. The upper end of each of these standards 4 is provided on its inner side with a lug 5, these two lugs projecting toward each other and engagingin slots 6, which may be grooves formed along the outer faces of two crossbars 7, respectively, which latter are secured to a member 8, which when the article is used as a chair constitutes the chair back and when it is used as a table, the member 8 being arranged in a horizontal position, serves as the tabletop. If desired, the bottom of the member8 or table-top may be upholstered or provided with a cushion 9 between the side bars 7 to serve as a back for the chair. When the article is used as a'chair, the member 8 is stood in an upright position, as shown in Fig. 1, and allowed to descend until the upper ends of the slots 6 come against the lugs 5. When in this position, the lower end of the member 8 will be below the chair bottom or seat l and the lugs 5 will be above the centerof gravity of the member 8, so that the latter will possess a normal tendency to re-V main in an lupright position and of course will be held so by gravity when not in use and by the pressure of the back of the sitter against the upper part when in use. In order that the table-top may be thus turned downwardly when the ends of the slot 6 reach the lugs 5, allowing it to pass the corners of the standards 4, the slots 6 are provided with oshoots 10, projecting at right angles thereto to permit the table-top 8 to Inove rearwardly with reference tothe lugs 5 as it approaches the perpendicular.

11 represents standards or supports, which are hinged at 12 to the bottom or seat 1 at their lower ends, while their upperends are l ing the latter against oscillation in either direction. I When the article is to be used as a table, the hinged standards 11 are stood in an upright position, as shown in Fig. 3, and the pins 13 are allowed to engage in suitable sockets 15, formed .in the bottom of the table-top 8, the table-top being slid along the lugs 5 or drawn toward the standards 1l untilthe lugs reach the left-hand ends of the slots 6, as viewed in Fig. 3. In converting the article from a table into a chair again it is simply necessary to lift the right-hand end of the table-top 8 until the headed pins 13 disengage the sockets 15, whereupon the top may be allowed to slide down the lugs 5 into the position shown in Fig.1, the arms 11 being dropped back into the position shown in that gure.

Having thus described my invention,'what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

ICO.

1. In a device for the purpose described a chair, two rigid upright back supports, and two hinged side standards therefor, a groove and stud connecting said supports and standards in combination with a combined chairback and table-top and a groove-andstud connection between said table-top and uprights, substantially as set forth.

2. In a device for the purpose described, a chair, two rigid upright back-supports, and two hinged side standards therefor, a groove and stud connecting said supports and standards in combination with a combined chairback and table-top and a groove-and-stud connection between said table-top and up rights, said groove having a right-angle extension supporting the table-top in its upright position, substantially as set forth.

3. In a device for the purpose described a chair, two rigid upright backsUppOrts, each provided with grooves upon the front. sides thereof, two standards hinged to and toward the forward side of the chair and provided in their rear ends with studs engaging said grooves in combination with a combined chairback and table-top provided with grooves and uprights provided with studs engaged in said grooves, substantially as set forth.

Li. In a device for the purpose described a chair, two rigid upright back-supports and two hinged side standards therefor, a grooveand-stud connection between said supports and standards in combination with a com bined chair-back and table-top having crossbarsv provided with a groove in the outer sides thereof and studs in the upright stand ards engaging said grooves, substantially as set forth.

5. In a device for the purpose described a chair, two rigid upright back-supports and two side standards therefor hinged toward the front side of the chair, said uprights being provided with grooves struck on the arc of a circle and said standards being provided with lugs in their ends engaging said grooves in combination with a combined chair-back and table-top provided with cross-bars having in their outer sides an elongated groove provided with a right-angle extension and studs in the upper ends of said standards engaging said grooves, substantially as set forth.

KNUTE ALBIN RUETI-IIN. Witnesses:

F. A. HOPKINS, JNO. G. ELLIOTT. 

